Broken Remains
by NikaChii
Summary: It's said that nobody can go back in time and alter the beginning, but anyone can choose a day to start a new ending. Saving her life should've been his first priority back then. Maybe it's not too late to keep a broken promise? KakaSaku,KakaRin,SasuSaku
1. Chapter one: Her silent pleas

_**WARNING: **_This fic is rated "**M**" for: Mature content, strong language, angst, possible character death and the sin that is KakaSaku. Consider yourself warned.

* * *

_- "It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth,_

_and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up,_

_that we will begin to live each day to the fullest,_

_as if it was the only one we had."_

_**- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross**_

* * *

**Chapter one - **_**Her silent pleas**_

* * *

Peace is nothing but a fickle word.

In a world dominated by shinobi, where violence is the solution to every hardship, was there even a reason to believe in such a thing as peace anymore?

After all, humans were fragile, vicious beings and very much proud of it.

Give a man a weapon, an excuse to kill, and you'd be surprised at just how _okay _that makes it to take a life.

Choosing a life surrounded by constant death is one thing.

Finding love in such a world, now _that_, is a whole other matter.

Some might even take it as far, as calling it an impossible task.

On the other hand, why not take on the challenge and prove the world wrong?

* * *

It was nearing midday as a few shy clouds finally decided to make their long awaited appearance, blocking the intense sunlight that had been dominating the sky for days.

Shifting slightly, a tired jounin with a very misleading hair color turned an empty gaze towards the autumn sky, humming softly as darker clouds started to gather. There was a faint sound of thunder and he knew that rain would soon follow, once again falling across Konoha's land, covering everything outside in heavy liquid… including them if the group stayed here for much longer.

The third training ground had many things, but a decent shelter was _not_ one of them.

Kakashi forced back a tired sigh. There was no reason for them to stick around anymore.

The jounin's slightly scarred fingers caressed the cover of the well used, orange book located in his lap. He'd memorized every page, every sentence, down to the very last kanji. Why he'd still insisted on bringing it with him today was beyond him. Out of habit maybe? He hadn't touched the book in over six months. Until today that was.

Kakashi inhaled a deep breath as he realized the foolishness behind all of this.

Yes, he guessed that he too, like most of the other member belonging to this team, carried at least someevidence of the existence of a _less_ broken past. Once a month, if they were lucky, they gathered for the pure purpose of pretending. Pretending to be a team again. No one ever commented on the stupidity of it all. Not even him.

"Looks like our training session has come to an end."

Naruto stretched his arms behind his head, yawning as he straightened his position. Clear, blue eyes shifted down towards the man who'd decided to end their 'training session', noticing that the older man still gazed at the same page as the last time he'd peeked, which over an hour ago.

"You're not even reading, are you?" the blonde frowned, admiring his mentor's ability to do absolutely nothing for several hours.

"Can't we just stay a little longer?" Kakashi gazed down at his former pink-haired student and sighed, as if he was thinking over Sakura's request. The older jounin then closed his book with his left hand, making a way too familiar handsign with the other.

"My apologize guys, it just happens that I have a few more important matters to handle, but good job everyone. Intense session indeed." The silver-haired's one exposed eye creased happily followed by a puff of smoke. Their sensei was no longer present as the remaining members groaned annoyingly at the predictable exit.

"And by 'important matters' you mean finding another place to do the exact same thing you've been doing for the past three hours," Naruto mumbled miserably, having wanted to spend the day doing some actual training now that the sun had decided to finally subside.

It was becoming a rare thing, the three of them training together. Not to mention the inc-obsessed fourth member, he was rarely seen interacting with any of his previous teammates. Ever. Well, sure, he was still a beloved member of team Kakashi, but had been on a 'temporary leave', as the Godaime had so nicely put it, for a few months now. Maybe everything would get better once this war issue was over. When they had finally gained each nation's trust again.

"Naruto?" The blonde snapped out of his train of thoughts and gazed down at the kunoichi standing a few feet below, grinning as his eyes met hers.

Naruto then proceeded to jump down from the branch he was currently sitting on and gracefully landed next to Sakura, stretching his sore muscles as if he'd actually been using them. The medic smiled as the blonde joined her. He'd missed this.

"So, ya' wanna meet up at ichiraku in a few hours?" The blonde asked, making his most convincing puppy face.

Sakura chuckled mildly, happy over the fact that certain things would never change no matter how much they aged. "I can't, I have hospital shifts. How about now? I'm free for another half hour or so."

Naruto gave an insecure smile, looking into the emerald eyes of the girl he'd always admired. She had no idea how proud he was of her.

"Well, I thought I'd go and visit Sasuke…,"

Sakura felt her blood go cold as she noticed that she was no longer able to smile, "Oh…"

"B-but you can come too! You know, it's a big house and the bastard probably needs some female company as well. I can walk you back to the hospital and-"

"Stop it." Sakura said, a little loader than intended.

The faint sound of thunder had progressed to a very intense growl which seemed a little too close for Sakura's liking. The change between a hot summer day and heavy rain could happen in minutes during this season of the year. She didn't like it. But then again, there were a lot of things she disliked these days.

Naruto swallowed, his expression turning more serious. "Sakura-chan, it's been two weeks. He'll be back to his old self in no time, don't worry… You haven't talked to him once since he got back,"

_That's not true. _

Sakura's pulse rose as she tried to come up with yet another excuse as to why she couldn't see the raven. She hated lying to people she cared about, especially Naruto, but the past two weeks had changed everything.

A forced smile formed on the pink-haired's lips as she laughed. "You know he doesn't want me there. That much hasn't changed."

"You don't know that. It's not like he goes head over heels to see me either ya' know. Deep down he's still the same old Sasuke, just give him a chance to get used to this life again."

_Lies._

The blonde eyed his teammate suspiciously. She had changed, how he had yet to find out, but she had definitely changed. He doubted she was that scared of being rejected by the Uchiha again. It wasn't like it was anything new that the asshole shared the same sexual preferences as a rock.

The kunoichi wrapped pale fingers around her arms to stop them from shivering. It was getting a bit chilly and all she wanted was to reach the hospital as fast as possible.

"It's not like that. I just need some time to get used to all this. I'll be fine," A half-hearted smile painted her face as she whished those words were true.

Sakura eventually rolled her eyes as the blonde looked more than a little concerned. "Look, just go. I'll ask Shizune if I can get the last couple of hours off. I'll meet you at your place, okay?"

Naruto sighed in defeat. "If you say so, Sakura-chan." He knew better than to dig around any further, but it bothered him to just leave her like this. They didn't see that much of each other in the first place.

"I'll see you in a few then." The jinchuuriki smiled as he gave a short wave of his hand and turned around, heading for the Uchiha residence."

Sakura remained still until her teammate was out of her sight, almost immediately regretting not asking him to walk her to the hospital. She didn't want to admit it, but the thought of being alone right now frightened her.

The medic's lips formed a sad smile. She would never go as far as pitying herself, but she truly hated the fact that she hadn't told anyone. She didn't know if the reason for it was fear or a hopeless love she'd once believed in.

Sakura turned around, walking in the opposite direction of her blonde teammate. There was no way she went near that house again. But on the other hand, as long as she was with others, she was safe. Maybe she should've gone with him after all?

Sakura cursed her dumb decision as the first drop of rain hit her forehead. The medic reached out her hand as more drops fell from the sky, landing gently in the palm of her hand.

The sooner she got to the hospital the better.

* * *

Naruto was still deep in thought as he walked through the gates of the Uchiha residence. There was nothing pleasant about this area, nor would he ever consider living in a place like this, where a slaughter had occurred. This was also probably the reason why no one lived here, except for the antisocial remaining teenager of the famous clan. Naruto would usually prefer meeting his previous teammate somewhere more comfortable, lively if you will, but since the Uchiha rarely stepped outside for social visits he could pretty much abandon that idea. Naruto frowned at the thought.

Maybe he could try and talk to Sasuke about this? To him, the raven seemed almost normal, like the person he'd met when he first started at the academy. Now this in itself should've been alarming to the blonde, but Naruto figured Sasuke was as tired of playing this chasing game as he was. All everyone wanted was for things to get back to normal.

Maybe if he could make Sasuke talk to Sakura? To show her that he was pretty much the same guy she'd been crazy about six years ago. Not that he wanted to bring them together or anything, that would be horrible. He didn't know what would be worse, the fact that the girl he was attracted to would be dating another, or the thought of Sasuke actually giving a shit about a girl. Naruto slowly shook his head as he smiled. He truly believed that things would get better with time, he just wasn't sure how long he was willing to wait.

Pausing as he finally stood outside of Sasuke's home, he found the place to be oddly deserted. There was no sign of the raven's chakra, and as he had no reason to hide it Naruto figured that the Uchiha wasn't home. Not that he could think of anywhere else for the asshole to be, unless he'd been given a mission within the village gates.

Shrugging as a sigh escaped his lungs Naruto decided that he would try again tomorrow.

* * *

Sakura's pace had gone from walking to somewhat running in terms of minutes. Her heart was beating ridiculously fast. This was stupid, she was being paranoid again.

There were few people outside due to the rain which had only gotten worse on her way to the hospital. As the medic rounded a corner to take a shortcut through the Baker's alley she stopped dead in her tracks, water splashing up to her knees due to the immediate halt of her feet. She swore she stopped breathing for a moment.

Praying that she hadn't been noticed yet the medic was about to run for it, but that the familiar voice that always served to make her shiver held her back as he spoke. _Fuck._

"Are you avoiding me, Sakura?" The voice held no form of amusement or even interest, but unlike her sensei that had the habit of sounding bored this voice held a coldness unlike no other and she knew better than to run.

Sakura knew turning around would do her little good because the raven was already behind her, breathing down her neck, causing her to shiver yet again. She wished he'd stop.

"Naruto's looking for you. Shouldn't you be at home to greet your _best friend_ or something?" Sakura asked firmly, keeping her voice from giving away any sign of fear. Not that it would do any her good; she knew she was right where he wanted her to be.

The upper hand was something she could never have as long as she remained the way she was. Stupid, ignorant and scared.

"Have you completed the little favour I asked of you?" The Uchiha asked coldly, ignoring his former teammate's question.

The pink haired remained silent, refusing to give the man behind her an answer. Sakura was about to walk away, but froze as soon as she felt the chilling metal from Sasuke's katana being raised to her throat. Going against him was stupid, but necessary.

She gave a muffled scream as her body was slammed against the concrete wall behind her. Sakura swore she heard something located in her spine crack in a very unnatural manner.

When the medic opened her eyes she found herself staring right into his black orbs. She felt small jolts of pain coming from her spine as her legs started shaking. Sakura knew he noticed. He always did. Even so, she was certain that he wouldn't severely injure her here, nothing she couldn't heal without anyone noticing, but somehow it did little to easy the fear that was making her tremble.

She knew it thrilled him to know all of her weaknesses. That he could hurt her as easily as he could. After all, he'd gone after the weakest member. Her. It had always been her.

"Y-you know I can't ask her. Tsunade-sama would never agree to reduce your punishment." Sakura stuttered, her breathing getting faster as a hand found its way to her throat and squeezed. Sasuke leaned closer to the pink-haired's ear, his other hand supporting his weight against the wall so he wouldn't crush her completely. He was way too close; there was no way Sakura would ever have a chance to escape even if she tried.

"That's a lie and you know it. Do you think I want to be stuck inside these fucking walls for another year? Don't you think I know that you're the Godaime's favourite? Don't play with me Sakura, you won't like the outcome."

"I-I can turn you in any moment, you know that? Stop a-asking me. Get your fucking hands off of me or I'll scream!" Sakura shouted, her hoarse voice hurting from the attempt at raising her voice, causing the kunoichi to cough.

She should've learned her lesson. Threatening with a scream usually did her little good.

The moment she spotted the angered look in the raven's eyes she regretted ever opening her mouth.

Her head hit the wall hard enough for her to feel warm streams of blood running down the back of her head as her vision remained blurry for a few more seconds. A harsh pull of her hair caused her head to jerk backwards as she gaped her mouth open in pain, a silent cry for help.

This man had killed without a second thought before; there was no reason why he wouldn't do it again if she stopped obeying his every whim. If not this time then the next.

Sakura swallowed as she blinked back unshed tears. It hurt. She kept telling herself that this was no murderer pinning her to the wall. The men he'd killed had already been a threat to Konoha. What use would it do in killing her? Self satisfaction?

"Listen. I can leave this shitty village whenever I want to, I would just prefer to do it the legal way so I won't have every nation on my back. You're not _stupid _enough to turn me in, Sakura. Besides…."

Sasuke slowly closed the tiny gap between them, placing his lips near the medic's neck, breathing evenly as he noticed the goosebumps showing on her delicate, pale skin. The raven smirked as he pulled her hair harder while running his tongue down the side of her neck. It was amusing how easily he could manipulate this girl with the sheer use of fear.

Sakura gasped, uneven breaths escaping her lungs. Not only was she frightened for her own life, but being taken advantage of like this, she hated it. She was in no position to do any resistance.

Screw the fact that yes, it kind of felt good, she was still disgusted by the Uchiha. The pain would always overrule the pleasure, of that she was certain. But above everything else was _scared_. Scared of what he'd do next. Her mind just wanted to go somewhere else, disappear for a while. She didn't know how to handle this.

"S-stop it … "She whimpered, trying her best to twist out of his grasp, already knowing how futile her attempt was because the more she twisted the harder his hold on her got.

Sasuke pulled away, but only far enough for him to speak.

"What's wrong Sakura? This is what you're supposed to want. Me." The Uchiha chuckled darkly.

Sakura couldn't hold back the tears any longer and regretfully let them fall freely. No, this wasn't the boy she'd once loved. She didn't even know if he was still in there. This was definitely not what she wanted. Her whole body was shaking, her frightened eyes fixated on his, which seemed nothing more than amused over how powerless he had her feeling compared to him.

She wanted to beat him into a bloody pulp, she really did, more than anything. She couldn't. This power he had over her, it was something she couldn't control.

A leg then suddenly forced her thighs to separate in one hard, quick movement.. It was neither a gentle or loving gesture. Sakura's eyes widened in horror as she gave an agonizing scream with a tiny hint of pleasure. The tears kept falling. That he even dared touching her like this. She would admit that maybe, in a different scenario, this was something she had once wished for.

_Fuck_ him.

It was humiliating beyond anything she'd ever experienced and he _enjoyed_ it. She wasn't supposed to react like this, so petrified and helpless. If anything she should be able to bash his head into the wall any minute now. So why couldn't she?

Maybe she was as weak as he claimed her to be, but it didn't chance the fact that she _let _him take advantage of her so easily.

Sasuke smirked again. "See, denying that you want me is like denying the fact that you're just as guilty of betraying your beloved village as I am. The only difference is that I went through with it."

"Y-you're wrong …." The kunoichi panted, not fully believing her own words. Because indeed, that was similar to what she'd offered out of desperation six years ago. She hadn't committed the crime, but if it hadn't been for him knocking her out cold, would she have gone with him?

Still, she did not deserve to be labelled in the same category as him. True, she'd loved him enough to betray her village, but at that time she had no grasp of what that boy would turn into. The crimes he had yet to commit.

Another attempt at putting more pressure between her legs threw her out of her thoughts. It hurt a lot more than it pleased, mostly her pride. Her eyes already starting to burn from fresh, hot tears. It wouldn't stop. _He_ wouldn't stop. She hissed as he pressed herself even more against her, making it hard to breathe.

The raven laughed again. "You're quite amusing to watch you know. You must be the most pathetic girl I've ever seen. Pretending to dislike what I'm doing serves no point. Unless it's one of your sick little fantasies that is. And you call _me_ disgusting?"

_Go away..._ Sakura's insides were screaming, but she feared what would happen if she actually opened her mouth. She didn't know this Sasuke. There was no telling what he'd do. To her. To the village. To the people she loved.

As if her prayers had been heard by some higher power she suddenly heard faint voices coming from around the corner. A hand shot up to close around her shivering lips. Sasuke gave her a look with a promise of pain if she opened her mouth, a killer intent so strong it made Sakura want to reach for her throat.

"Don't disobey my orders again; you'll do well to remember that." As soon as the words left his lips he was nowhere to be seen. The "or else" hanging loosely in the air.

Sakura let out a gasp of relief as her body sunk to the ground.

The rain had pretty much soaked through her clothes so there was no need to stop herself from sinking down to a sitting position on the muddy surface.

Her eyes went blank, staring calmly at where the drops met the ground. A few pink strands hid her eyes from the academy students passing by. She doubted they even paid attention to her. Sakura slammed her hand against the wall behind her, leaving small cracks in the concrete.

"Damnit…" What was wrong with her? Why was her heart and mind so fucking weak? There's no way _her_ Sasuke was still in there. If there'd ever been such a thing as _her _Sasuke. It couldn't be him. This was not the person she'd spent most of her childhood searching for. This monster, had it been living inside him all along?

Had everything they'd done been in vain? It couldn't be. She wouldn't let it.

If she told any of this to Tsunade she'd probably have him executed for breaking one of the many rules he'd agreed on following upon his return. Hurting a fellow Konoha shinobi was a grim crime in the first place. But they were even stricter with him.

It wasn't like Sakura believed he'd stick around for his own execution, but she didn't want to chase him down again, to be given the order to take his life. And even if she told the Godaime the truth, would that make him go after _her_ life? Would she be killed by _his_ hands for doing the right thing for once? No matter how much she thought about it the outcome made her sound just as selfish as everyone believed her to be. Was it really all that selfish to wish for her own life?

Sasuke was the reason why the other villages were starting to question Tsunade's judgment. Konoha's reliability. Sasuke was a former member of the Akutsuki, he'd taken orders under _the_ Uchiha Madara. The man who threatened the whole shinobi world. He would without a doubt come back for Sasuke when he felt like it. Everyone knew it.

And who knew, maybe Sasuke still was on that mad man's side? The only reason Sasuke was still alive was because of team Kakashi's request. One could say that Tsunade had been begged into submission.

Instead his punishment had been reduced to a mere year inside the village gates before he was allowed more freedom. It was Naruto who had convinced the Godaime of Sasuke's innocence in all of this mess. That he too was a victim of Madara's cruelty.

Hell, she'd almost believed this herself. The Uchiha was a good actor. She doubted anyone else knew. The only thing stopping Sasuke from exiting the village was a tracking device imbedded inside neck. That being said, if he did take a step out of the village he would have every nation tracking him down. But this was a _mild _punishment compared to his crimes. And he wanted it reduced? It couldn't be done. And even if it could Sakura wouldn't let it happen.

What was she to do the next time she saw him? What would _he _do? A poof of smoke was heard a few feet away from the medic as a red-haired chuunin appeared, his nose buried in what looked like a very soaked scroll. The young man seemed unbothered by the rain.

"You're not an easy lady to find Miss Har-" The chuunin's eyes widened at the sight in front of him. "

Sakura-senpai, are you okay?"

"Just fine, Komuro." Sakura spat, a hint of anger in her voice. Such a stupid question deserved a stupid answer.

The red-haired continued to blink. "You're wanted at the hokage's office."

"Now?" Sakura sighed, not wanting to receive a lot of questions about the way she looked.

"Yes, apparently it was very urgent. It's about a mission. Must be important." The chuunin stated, offering his hand with a smile on his face, respecting the fact that she didn't want to talk about whatever she'd been through this evening.

But Sakura had already regained hope as she grabbed the offered hand and pulled herself up, straightening her skirt.

A mission? This could buy her some extra time. Her last chance to figure out a solution.

* * *

**A/N: **_Feedback is, as always, highly appreciated. It's like better than cookies._

_Chapter 2 and 3 are almost finished and on their way._


	2. Chapter two: His past mistakes

_- __"Most people can look back over the years and identify a time and place at which their lives changed significantly. Whether by accident or design, these are the moments when we make certain choices that will affect the rest of our lives.__"_

_- Thomas Paine_

* * *

**Chapter two - _His past mistakes_**

* * *

Sakura felt slightly uncomfortable as her still shaking hand repeatedly knocked against the wooden door leading in to the Godaime's office. Due to the urgent request of her presence she'd had no time whatsoever to even slightly change her appearance. She couldn't help feeling filthy in more ways than one. Sakura made a mental note to heal any damage that her spine had taken as soon as she got home. It hurt in a way it wasn't supposed to hurt. She didn't even know if she'd be able to make that kind of hurt go away with the mere touch of her hand.

The door suddenly opened as Shizune greeted Sakura with a smile, motioning for her to step inside the office. The middle aged woman was forced to take a second look at the fellow medic, silently thinking that a mission didn't look like something Tsunade should be adding to the younger medic's busy schedule. If she ever knew how wrong that silent statement was.

Sakura did as her superior had told her and entered the room, avoiding any form of eye contact with the hokage's assistant.

To her big surprise she found _both _of her former mentors present in the office. _Just great._

Kakashi gave a slight nod of his head, acknowledging her presence, but even the silver haired was forced to linger his gaze on the younger woman, giving her a questioning look as his eyes gestured to her current appearance.

The pink-haired gently shook her head, smiling as if it was nothing to worry about. She felt somewhat embarrassed about the way everyone was looking at her. She was soaked and had a few mud stains scattered across her outfit, _so what_? They were shinobi weren't they? It wasn't like it was an unusual sight.

Sakura sighed, the gesture going unnoticed by everyone else. She was a terrible liar, she knew that better than anyone else.

Tsunade had been the only person present in the room that had yet to lay eyes on Sakura since she'd entered her office, too busy with finding the right way to formulate the explanation of the mission she was about to hand out.

The top of Tsunade's pencil looked like a bunch of splints that had magically transformed into a writing device. Either the Godaime wasn't being properly fed or she was severely nervous about something she'd chosen to keep to herself. The elderly woman mused something that went unheard by the other people in her office as she finally decided to face her subordinates.

"Right, Haruno Sakura-," The honey-eyed woman paused, eying the always so self-conscious girl she'd grown to love. The self-conscious part had apparently subsided a little. Maybe she _had_ overworked her previous apprentice after all?

"Do I honestly have to remind you of the fact that there's something called a jacket and that it should be worn when raining?" Tsunade frowned, noticing the awkward atmosphere as Sakura tried to think of an excuse.

"I was training. It's just rain Tsunade-sama." Sakura answered, implying that there was nothing more to it so the Godaime was free to drop the topic.

Not having the time nor patience to uncover the most likely uninteresting truth about why Sakura was in this sort of state, the Godaime continued with her previous conversation, "Fine, as I was say-"

"Tsunade-sama!" The same red-haired chuunin that Sakura had spoken with earlier this evening had entered the room. The door had shot open only moments before and had slammed into the other side of the wall, leaving a crack way too big for Tsunade's liking.

"What?" The hokage snapped, angry at the intrusion. "What could possibly be so important that you have to trash parts of my office, Komuro?"

The chuunin turned his gaze towards the damaged wall as he laughed nervously. Shifting his attention back to Tsunade Komuro spoke, "It's urgent, please hokage-sama, it won't take long." The red-haired promised.

"I'm going to have to ask the two of you to wait here for a few more minutes." The Godaime said, dismay written all over her face as she followed the overreacting, young man.

"J-just hang on for a moment," Shizune said, waving her hand as she ran after her master.

The door closed behind the dark-haired as the two members of team Kakashi remained still. The silence was a bit awkward, but Sakura had all night.

"If you're trying to avoid unwanted attention I'd suggest removing the blood from your hair."

Sakura froze as she first _now_ realized that her former sensei was in fact standing _behind_ her, getting a pretty good view of her injuries.

The medic immediately reached up to cover her wound with a glowing hand, healing any damaged tissue and quickly closing the open injury.

She then turned to the silver-haired, laughing nervously as she waved her hand, brushing the whole thing off. "I sort of had a clumsy moment."

Kakashi remained silent, eyes still focusing on the orange book his hand currently possessed. There was no way he was reading.

Sakura's smile vanished as she faced in a different direction. Realizing that she was lying again. It was becoming a bad habit of hers these days. She _knew_ Kakashiknew she was lying, and he didn't even bother to let her know that he hadn't believed a single word that had left her mouth.

It slightly hurt that the man seemed to immediately drop the topic just like that, content with a dishonest answer. Yes, it had been a disrespectful thing to do, lying to her former mentor that was, but what was she supposed to say?

"_It'__s not my God damn problem, Komuro!" _

Sakura shifted her attention towards the voices coming from behind the door, hearing heels tapping rhythmically on the floor out in the hallway. The voice's owner was apparently approaching the office at high speed, the other voice trying to keep up with her.

"_If you keep losing your students then take it up with the parents! Geez." _

"_But Tsunade-sama, I'__ve looked everywh-"_

"_Not my problem__, brat!"_

The door slammed open and closed faster than Sakura could turn around. The Godaime stomped over to her desk as she regained her previous position. Pinching the bridge of her nose the blonde finally spoke.

"I'm sorry about that. Let's continue shall we. About this mission I'm about to-"

"Is it long-term?" Sakura asked hopefully, interrupting the hokage's words yet again.

"If you'll let me finish I'll get to that, Sakura." The blonde nearly mumbled, annoyed over the lack of respect she'd been getting the past few days.

"I'm sorry, please continue." The pink-haired said genuinely. She couldn't help the fact that she was excited for once, eager to get away from the village.

The honey-eyed nodded. "Before I start explaining the details of this mission I'll let you know that the circumstances will be a little out of the ordinary."

The two shinobi patiently awaited further instructions. Satisfied that the long wanted respect was finally starting to show Tsunade continued.

"You'll be traveling with another team consisting of Shiranui Genma and Yamato." The blonde informed, purposely leaving out Yamato's last name since he always used a cover.

"Interesting pick." The silver-haired stated, a frown present beneath his mask.

"This team is already assigned to a different mission, but within the same city. You'll serve as their backup as they will return the favour and serve as yours. I'll leave the task of further informing you on their mission details to Genma. "

"Then this mission has already failed."

The former ANBU captain's smug statement made the Godaime smirk, knowing all too well how much Genma despised Kakashi, which was basically why she'd teamed him up with the organized ANBU known as Yamato.

The smirk immediately disappeared as the hokage reminded herself of the very reason why this mission would be hard on the younger man. She cleared her throat.

"Sakura, you will serve as a medic for both teams. You are not to enter any form of combat unless you're given the order to do so. So just basically follow Kakashi's orders."

The pink-haired nodded in understanding.

"As for _your_ mission. It's a little complicated as you're heading out based on only rumours."

A silver eyebrow was raised in disbelief. "Sounds like a waste of time don't you think?" Kakashi spoke, sounding bored already.

Sakura somewhat agreed. She understood the whole point of including at least one medic on each mission, but sending out one of Konoha's best shinobi based on a mere rumour when they clearly needed him here she didn't understand.

"Wait until I finish before judging, Kakashi." Tsunade answered, but there was no anger present in her voice as he'd expected it to be. The jounin then nodded.

"Your mission is to track down a missing nin. Someone we presumed died fifteen years ago." The Godaime continued.

"Has this person done something wrong?" Sakura asked, surprised that the hokage had taken such interest in a mere missing ninja."

"No, quite the contrary, but you know that as soon as you leave the village unnoticed you'll be marked as a traitor of said village. Those are the rules, no matter what the circumstances." She corrected, sounding very professional.

"So you want us to bring this person back to the village?" The pink-haired asked, not sure if she was quite getting the whole picture.

"I want you to _consider_ it, as I have yet to know why this person did what she did." The hokage gently folded her fingers, having given away that it was a women she was referring to.

"Like I said, your target was declared dead fifteen years ago on a mission in sound, only seventeen years old. Her body, on the other hand, was never found."

And just as Tsunade had expected she could tell that she now had the silver-haired's full attention, as his book was no longer visible.

"It's been reported that she's been working as a freelance medic. There is a fifty percent chance of the information proving to be false." Tsunade's voice had turned a tad softer as she spoke.

With her experienced eyes and trained intuition the Godaime noticed the slight tense of Kakashi's body, she guessed he didn't need any further information to know just _exactly_ who she was talking about.

The atmosphere had gone from somewhat awkward to tense in a matter of seconds. There was no way of knowing what the sharingan user was thinking. Not even Tsunade could read this man, and she could read most men by merely feeling their presence.

"It's nothing more than a rumour, Kakashi." The blonde said quietly, quite aware over the fact that the man was enveloped in his own thought.

Sakura was confused. Did Kakashi know this person? They hadn't even been given a name yet. What could possibly make this woman so incredibly important?

Sakura turned her head, observing the older man. It did nothing to please her curiosity as the only movement he made was thrusting his hands deeper down the pockets of his pants.

"If you don't want to take on this mission it's highly understandable, but you should know that if you decline the undertaker squad will be sent to deal with he-"

"I'll take it." And for the very first time Sakura heard a hint of desperation in the older jounin's voice. It was barely present, but it was there alright.

The hokage nodded, respecting the other man's feelings. "This mission will remain unofficial for now. I want no records whatsoever of what you did, what you learned or whether the girl is alive or not. Any reports of _this _mission will be given directly to me verbally after it's completed." The Godaime ordered, her voice firm as she used her hands to support herself against the wooden desk.

"Everything we do is off the records?" Sakura asked, confusion dominating most of her face.

"_Everything." _The blonde repeated.

Kakashi bowed respectfully, understanding that the hokage was giving him a chance to make this right himself, giving him the opportunity to do exactly as he himself wished.

As the Jounin rose, a cold, determinate look had replaced whatever desperation had been there before. The look in his eye was almost frightening, but the Godaime knew the man had a very good reason for his reaction.

Sakura couldn't help being curious as to who their target was and why her sensei had reacted like that. Working as a freelance medic didn't seem like a bad thing, but it was far from ideal. Why would someone betray the village in favour for such a life? Kakashi obviously knew a lot more about this than herself. The tension around them was becoming slightly uncomfortable already.

"I've already talked things over with your companions and they will be waiting by the village gates at midnight. It leaves you exactly two hours to gather your mission gear and belongings."

Tsunade-shishou", Sakura bowed, the familiar suffix bringing back fond memories from her genin days.

The hokage smiled. "Here." She handed Kakashi the mission scroll, containing every detail regarding the mission.

"Make sure you burn it once you've memorized it." The hokage ordered, putting fait in the young man's sharingan. Yes, in her eyes, Kakashi was still just a kid, being over twenty years younger than her.

Said young man grabbed the scroll as he gave a short nod of his head, tucking the scroll away in his side pouch.

"Everything worth to know is written in there, you're both dismissed."

The newly assigned teammates turned to walk out the door.

"Oh, and Kakashi-?" The blonde started, cut off by the other man's reply.

"-I know." He wouldn't get his hopes up. He'd searched for her before without any luck. He couldn't imagine that this would be any different. She most likely was and would remain dead.

To Sakura's surprise Kakashi had followed her as she'd made her way down the slippery stairs leading out of the hokage tower and outside where the rain had continued to relentlessly pour down over the village.

The pink-haired stopped, shooting a glance at her teammate.

"Is something the matter?" He asked, taking no notice of the harsh weather.

Sakura smiled. "No… Nothing. I guess I just expected you to disappear again, as you usually do."

The older man shrugged. "I just got this sudden feeling of you wanting company on your way home. Was I wrong?"

The pink-haired blinked. "N-no. But how could you…-"

"Call it a lucky guess. Your apartment is this way, right?" He interrupted, about to start walking in the direction of where he presumed Sakura's house was located, but stopped as he saw the girl shake her head lightly as she looked at him.

"I moved out a year ago." She corrected. Wondering how the man was able to have such a sudden change of attitude. The anger she'd felt coming from him in Tsunade's office… She could no longer sense it. Kakashi continued to stare at her as if waiting for further instructions.

"You lead the way then." He finally said, realizing that she wasn't about to give him any anytime soon.

"O-oh, this way." Sakura gestured him to follow her in the opposite direction he'd intended of going. For once, there was a comfortable silence between the two of them. Just for this moment, Sakura felt completely safe.

"Sensei?" The pink haired called quietly as they walked side by side, a good few feet separating them as to not invade each other's personal space.

"Hm?" The man next to her gave her a questioning look.

"What's the name of our target?"

Kakashi looked away, a bit stunned at hearing _her_ being referred to as a _target._

Several minutes passed and Sakura was starting to believe she wouldn't get an answer out of the older jounin.

"Rin." He finally answered, his voice sounding a lot milder than she was used to. "Her name is Rin."


	3. Chapter three: Not even you

_Most things break, including hearts. _

_The lessons of life amount not to wisdom, but to scar tissue and callus._

_- Wallace Stegner_

* * *

**Chapter three ****–**** Not even you**

* * *

Kakashi eyed the slightly new apartment complex in front of him, having just accomplished accompanying his newly appointed teammate to her own doorstep.

It always amazed him that everyone seemed to be having better living conditions than himself. Not that he was complaining. When a person spent as little amount of time in the village as he did, at least for the past couple of years, you didn't need more than a decent place to sleep in.

The silver-haired then shifted his gaze towards Sakura. The young girl seemed torn between the impulse of running inside her apartment like her life depended on it, or utter a version of "thank you" for the nice gesture of walking her home.

Kakashi resisted the urge to utter a groan of dismay and just disappear "Kakashi-style" before she even had the chance to open her mouth. He didn't need her to thank him. He knew the gesture was appreciated and he was content with just knowing that. After all, he hadn't walked her home just to be polite. The gesture was done out of curiosity and worry for his former student. Nothing more, nothing less. And now, that he had decided to stay, he'd be fairly disappointed if he didn't get some answers out of her.

Apparently Sakura wanted to play the part of former-teacher's pet and went against his inner wishes, having already decided on giving him the thank you-speech.

The pink-haired tilted her head as she gazed upon the older man, bringing back nostalgic memories of an innocent past. "Thank you. For not making a big deal about my injury in the office I mean."

Kakashi blinked for a moment. He'd almost forgotten about that. _Almost_. It was not a topic he felt he should be letting slide as easily as she wanted him to.

Sakura waited patiently for him to speak and end their conversation as he usually would do. She just wanted to get inside. But… the look in his eyes. He seemed disappointed.

"I do hope you had a valid reason for lying in front of the hokage."

Sakura's gaze lowered as she gently chewed on her lower lip. "What makes you think I was lying?"

Nothing was said for over a minute. It was as if he was giving her a chance to correct her reply.

She didn't.

"Fine, if that's how you're going to play it Sakura, I can think of better ways to spend my time." Kakashi was not in the mood for her guessing games. Maybe this had been a bad idea after all. Not that he regretted walking her home, but he was not one to beg for an explanation. He honestly believed that she had greater respect for him than, well_, this_.

If she wanted his help he'd gladly offer it, but he wouldn't force anything on her.

The older jounin turned to leave, but for some reason, the tone of her voice stopped him.

"Of course you do, sensei, I'm sorry." She merely whispered. "I'll see you in a few hours then."

Now why did she have to sound so hurt? So… broken? It could _not _have been his doing. The entire village, especially his students, was used to the copy ninja's-… Kakashi frowned. Well, if he was to quote Asuma the right term would be "_assholeish attitude__"_.

But in Kakashi's defense, it was how he'd always been. In return, he had his moments of glory. He cared a lot for his student, but even there it existed exceptions.

Kakashi watched her back as she made her way towards the front door of her building.

"Sakura."

The pink-haired paused in her steps as she glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes. There was something terribly wrong with them.

"Listen. I'm only going to ask this once. If you are going to lie to me again, don't bother answering."

Sakura was hit by a sudden feeling of guilt. There was a pretty good chance that his question would result in yet another lie. She honestly didn't want to, but what choice did she have? There was no point in arguing with his statement. He had just accused her of lying to him and the hokage earlier, and if she denied it _again_ she'd only portray herself as even more foolish.

Shifting her head to the side the medic nodded weakly. The sudden silence was making her heart beat a little faster. He probably did this on purpose too. Just to test her reaction. He could see right through her little lie.

"Okay then." The copy ninja uttered calmly, his tone a tad milder, still delaying the question, much to Sakura's frustration.

"W-what do you want to know?" She hadn't meant to stutter, but it was a bad habit of hers when she was nervous about something. Needless to say it didn't serve to raise her credibility one bit.

"There's something bothering you."

"That's more like a statement, not a question, sensei." She laughed nervously. Something bothering her? That must've been the understatement of the year.

Apparently Kakashi didn't find the whole situation very amusing as he continued to stare at her. It was how he had always used to look at her before a lecture. Sakura's smile faded as her teeth once again found their way to her lower lip.

"It's nothing serious." She lied, but at the same time admitting that indeed, there _was_ something on her mind.

Kakashi gave a suspicious look as there was another short silence. "Would you have told me if it was?"

Sakura pushed a soaked strand behind her ear, a pained smile present on her unusually pale face as she met her former mentor's gaze.

"Probably not." She whispered.

The man she'd used as a pillar of support when she was younger remained expressionless. She had expected no different from him.

"I see." He simply answered, giving her a short nod as he started to move away from the apartment complex. No, he wasn't angry with her. After all, if she didn't want to share important matters with him he would respect that. He just wished she had been honest with him from the beginning.

Sakura unlocked the front door as she lingered in the hallway; casting one last glance at the silver-haired's back. _'__I__'__m sorry, sensei. Not even you.__'_

* * *

Kakashi let cloth-covered fingers wander through his hair, letting out a deep breath as he had come to a halt. His feet or maybe it was the hidden will of his subconsciousness, always seemed to lead him back to this place, but now more than ever, he _needed_ to be here.

Kakashi doubted this was the place for getting the answers he so desperately needed, but seeing the familiar memorial stone served to give an odd feeling of comfort. There was no reason for him to return to his own apartment yet. He always had his mission gear packed in case of situations like these. In fact, he never bothered to _un_pack it.

The silver-haired felt a headache stir in the back of his head.

This had certainly been an absolutely _wonderful_ day hadn't it? Well, depending on how one would look at it he supposed. Putting the main issue aside, Kakashi tried to reflect over everything that had happen over past two years. Ever since the war had started the amount of missions he'd been assigned had increased by at least sixty percent. He was not one to complain though; at least it gave him something to do, a purpose if you will.

Unless you'd count the few times he'd accepted an invitation to one of the many let's-drink-for-the-hell-of-it nights, if that even could be qualified as a purpose. He rarely did though. He could barely stand stupid, but drunk stupid was asking a little too much. He could tolerate the former teachers of the rookie 12 and on occasions Yamato, since he was such a funny man to annoy. And speaking of his travel mates, Genma he could absolutely not tolerate, well it was mostly the other way around he supposed. They used to stand each other, but after an incident were both of them had ended up dating the same woman at the same time they'd had a little argument. A very drunk argument. It had been anything but pretty. This was why the next couple of weeks was going to be _so_ much fun.

Kakashi's thoughts then drifted back to his so-called _team_. There were no such thing as sticking to one's original team anymore. If there was a mission there was a big chance of ending up with someone you'd never worked with before. Desperate times, desperate measures he supposed.

Still, team Kakashi had somewhat plead themselves to stay together until they had succeeded in bringing back the last member of their team. Kakashi frowned in annoyance. He was no longer a part of the team that was named after him. Hell, he hadn't even been present under the capture of the Uchiha. That mission had been lead by Yamato, not him.

The only reason why he kept arranging these little training sessions was because he genuinely missed his former students. Those were bonds he did not want to fade. Of course they were precious to him. He knew his relationship with Naruto had gotten somewhat distant compared to what it used to be. But had he honestly lost the respect of his former students? And Sakura of all people.

True. The pink-haired had never gotten special treatment compared to the guys. But that didn't mean that he cared less about her as a student. She'd been through a lot, always standing at the sidelines, watching her team fall apart. He'd tried to be there for her, for all of them, he had honestly tried.

Maybe he'd been a lousy sensei, he'd sort of come to that realization a long time ago.

But… since when did any of them have to lie to him? Whatever it was that had given Sakura the impression that lying would be the best possibly resort, he hoped it wasn't too serious. He had too much to deal with at the moment to play detective. Sakura was a smart girl. If it indeed was something serious bothering her, she would definitely tell Tsunade.

Kakashi's mind then wandered back to the topic he'd been avoiding ever since he'd left the hokage's office. The mission. This was still all so surreal. Like a dream that had been haunting him for the past decade. Rin… _alive_?

He honestly didn't know how he was supposed to feel, as he yet again found himself scanning the names carved into the familiar rock. Fifty percent. It wasn't much. But still, he'd always carried with him this tiny spark of hope that next time, _this_ time, it would be different. Fate could not be this cruel.

His dark eye lingered at the name there now was a slight chance didn't _need_ to be there in the first place. He then bent down in a sitting position, dirtying his left knee. Yes, there was certainly a hint of anger inside of him. The feeling of being betrayed, but… most of all, he was confused as to why she would do such a thing. The day he'd been informed of Rin's death, it was the day he'd lost everything that had been worth clinging on to for a seventeen year old boy.

First it had been his father's suicide. A few years later he'd lost Obito. Then, it had been the sacrifice of the Yondaime, his sensei. But, when he'd lost Rin, it had been entirely different. It should _not_ have happened. He was supposed to have been on that mission with her. Rin had been _his_ responsibility. The one promise he had made to a dying friend he had failed to keep and he had forever regretted it.

The jounin pulled down his mask, the skin he kept covered most of the day getting just as soaked as the rest of him in a matter of seconds. A faint smile was seen on Kakashi's face, only visible to the shinobi fallen in battle. The silver-haired let his fingers trace over his former teammate's name, almost caressing it.

Kakashi then pulled himself up into a straight position, his eyes never leaving the stone.

"_Obito… If she'__s still out there… I will find her."_

Maybe… just _maybe_, had his promise yet to be broken.

* * *

Sakura just couldn't believe her dumb luck. Out of all the things to disappear into thin air before a mission it had to be her freaking headband. Of course. It made sense some higher power wanted her stuck in this village for as long as possible.

As usual, no one had paid attention to the fact that she hadn't been wearing it for the entire day. Either they didn't notice or they just couldn't care less if she was using a headband or a hat to keep her shoulder-length hair in place. As a result of the desperate search that had been taking place in her apartment for the past hour, her living room and bedroom had been turned upside-down and inside-out in her quest to find the missing hitai-ate.

Sakura gazed up at the clock. Ten minutes until departure. Screw this. It was an undercover mission anyway right? She probably would have no need for her headband.

Embracing her own failure the pink-haired practically threw herself down on soft carpet of her bedroom in defeat. Sighing she tilted her head to the side, only to be blinded by a sharp light reflecting from a metal piece. Her eyes then narrowed in annoyance as she reached under her dresser, pulling out the previously missing bastard.

"_So this is where you'__ve be-"_Sakura stopped herself in mid-sentence as she quickly pulled herself up into a protective stance, reaching for the kunai on top of her dresser. Either the paranoia was kicking in again, or she'd just heard someone fiddling with the doorknob outside. The grip on her weapon tightened to the point of her knuckles turning white as she felt the urge to check the front door.

The door leading into the living room was locked and she would definitely hear if anyone tried to force her front door open. Honestly, was there even a reason to check? It could've been the neighbours. Yes, it was definitely the neighbours.

A sigh of relief escaped Sakura's lungs as she positioned herself at the edge of her bed, sinking down on the mattress. This was _not_ the time to question her sanity. Putting the kunai aside she ran a tired hand through somewhat still wet strands.

This had been a long day and she'd do almost anything to focus her thought on something else right now. She guessed she owed her headband a little of her gratitude. After all, it had kept her mind occupied for a while. The medic smiled to herself. The breeze on her back felt really nice. Sakura's hand paused for a moment as her mind finally made an unclear connection. Wait a minute. Hadn't she closed all of the windo-

"Going on a mission are we?"

Sakura stiffened instinctively. She was starting to hate this monotonic voice of his. She hadn't heard _anything._ Not the sound of her window being opened, not a hint of rustling fabric. _Nothing_. How?

The medic remained still. The only thing audible to her ears was the rapid beating of her own heart. How could he possibly know about the mission? It was classified for Christ sake! Her eyes automatically wandered to the sharp edge of the kunai she'd been holding only moments ago. Why the hell had she let go of it in the first place?

The sudden, increasing pace of her breathing probably gave her intentions away, but if she was fast enough she could-

"I'd rather you didn't." Sakura's hand paused, hesitating, as if she honestly considered reaching for it, even if he had seen through her plan.

"You honestly think you can compare your speed to mine?" Sasuke was casually leaning against the window frame, the terrified girl in front of him apposing no higher threat than a mere kitten. In his opinion that was.

He was mocking her again.

Sakura had to collect herself. Even if she did manage to reach for it in time... what options did that leave her with? She was not mentally _or_ physically prepared to fight him. She had to go with a different approach, a different plan.

"I was in no position to decline the mission." She finally said, not letting her guard down despite the other man's calm attitude. Still, Sakura refused to face him. _That_, more than anything right now, was her weakness. To look into those eyes she'd always thought of as the most beautiful thing in the entire world. The eyes she'd once believed could only _mentally_ hurt her. The eyes of the man that had once sworn that he'd never let his comrades die. The eyes that now belonged to a possible killer.

"You'll have to act a little more convincing than that." The raven answered indifferently, spinning a kunai around his index finger as he gazed out of the window.

Sakura grit her teeth. She was scared out of her mind and he acted like he was _bored_? Was this nothing but a game to him? Playing with her feelings? Her _life_? Did none of that have any real value to him? She refused to believe that. One could _not_ just throw away someone's humanity. Not even him.

"Why?" She whispered furiously, the question being directed more at herself.

"Why would you turn into something like this?" Sakura asked weakly, feeling the gaze of her previous teammate piercing her back.

"You… you once cared about us, remember?" Sakura whispered in anger, sounding almost bitter as she gazed down at her trembling hands.

"We're the ties that hold you back, right? That means, we must mean _something_ to you." Sakura knit her fist in anger as the only response she got from the man behind her was a simple, arrogant snort.

The pink-haired jerked her head around, furious eyes trying to pierce through the raven's cool shield. "Madara's just using you, can't you tell! You're _not_ like this!"

The Uchiha's lips formed into a smirk as there was yet another short pause. "Is that what you think?"

Sakura swallowed. She wasn't going to break. Not now.

"You're still human Sasuke-kun. I know you would never willingly hurt me _or_ Naruto. We're your teammates. We've always been there for you. We spent the majority of our youth searching for you, _defending_ you. You can't possibly say that none of that matters."

There was no way she was believing her own words, but she was out of options. There could be a slight possibility that he _was_ in fact being manipulated by Madara. If only she could reach him.

A grim grin suddenly bared the Uchiha's teeth as he turned his gaze towards her. "Is that a challenge, Sakura?"

Sakura's blood froze as she gasped in surprise, crimson eyes being the last thing she saw before she lost consciousness.

* * *

**A/N:** _Don__'__t you guys have a review to write? Hush my darlings._


	4. Chapter four: Hidden fear

_Indifference is the strongest force in the universe. _

_It makes everything it touches meaningless._

_Love and hate don't stand a chance against it. _

**- The Snow Queen**

* * *

**Chapter four - Hidden fear**

* * *

Sakura slowly forced her eyes to open, noticing that her lids felt unnaturally heavy. She groaned tiredly as she was met by blurriness that she desperately tried to blink away in an attempt to gain more control. An odd sort of atmosphere swept over her.

Emerald eyes automatically tried to scan her surroundings for a hint about her whereabouts. It was no use. Everything was fuzzy, unclear. Where was she again?

It was quiet. Sakura swallowed. Too quiet. Her ears couldn't register even the tiniest hint of an audio wave. As her vision finally started to clear the pink-haired found herself staring directly at a white, empty ceiling. _Her_ ceiling? Indeed, it _was_ her ceiling… Her bedroom ceiling. Sakura recognized the crack she'd sworn to fix ever since she'd moved in. But, she didn't get it.

Something was off. She couldn't seem to remember falling asleep, or going to bed for that matter. She _was_ lying in her bed right? Sure felt like it. Judging from the dim lightning in her bedroom she could tell it was still night. Had she been dreaming? What kind of dream would make her wake up feeling like she currently suffered the aftermath of being drugged to sleep.

Sakura suddenly hissed as her brain finally registered a stinging pain she was surprised she hadn't felt sooner. Why did her wrists hurt so badly? Moving her head was easier said than done as her head felt even heavier than her lids had, but as she finally managed to tilt her head to the side she realized that if everything had been a dream… she'd awoken in a nightmare. She couldn't move.

Her hands were tied to the posts of her own bed. Whoever had done this had not given her the pleasure of using regular ropes. Of course not. Her wrists were bound with an extremely thin wire, similar to what she would use in combat. The binding were way too tight, she could see small lines of red running down her lower arm, staining her sheets. Her feet felt impossibly heavy to move and she had to put some serious effort into resisting the urge to panic.

"W-what is this?"

Sakura's eyed widened in horror. "_No… W-wait_... _N_-_no_..."

The dark chuckle that followed confirmed her suspicion. "What's the matter, Sakura?"

The pink-haired suddenly felt wide awake as her body was about to reflexively jerk up into a sitting position, but the motion was prevented as the wires held her back, causing the tortured girl to let out an agonizing scream.

The medic could hear firm steps making their way towards her bedside; stopping as they reached said location. She kept her eyes shut tightly as she felt her entire body go stiff. No. She didn't want to see. This wasn't happening. With a sudden movement her head was jerked to one side, making the wire on her left tighten even more. She was afraid he'd be able to tear her arms of if he pulled any harder.

He still had quite a good grip on her hair as he closed the gap between them. She could feel his breath all over her skin and she knew that he was silently laughing at her. How could he find pleasure in this?

She didn't scream for once. She couldn't as there was another short silence before he spoke again.

"So you claim I don't want to hurt you? That I suddenly care?" There was a hint of disgust in his calm voice, making Sakura shiver with a fear she was currently trying to overcome. He sounded so indifferent. As if hurting her was about as emotional to him as hurting a fly. It didn't matter anymore. Nothing did. If she was going to die it would _not_ be on his terms.

Sakura's eyes shot open as she spit in the traitors face, taking Sasuke by surprise, making him loosen the grip on her hair. For a moment he almost looked… impressed?

"What're you going to do then? _Kill _me?" Sakura spat, knowing she was as helpless as she could get.

Sasuke slowly wiped the liquid off with his sleeve.

"Why kill you when I can do _so_ much better than that?" The raven grinned.

* * *

"Okay, I'm getting used to that lazy ass showing up late for every single mission he's ever been assigned to, but when his students start picking up on his habits you know that something has to be done." Genma groaned as he silently cursed the hokage for picking the worst possible matchup for this mission. He was so not looking forward to this trip of joy.

"It's only been a few minutes, have a little patience." The wood-user mumbled annoyingly. He wasn't exactly excited about his new teammate either. Who _would _be when their future roommate was a complaining senbone-sucker. Quite literally speaking.

"Can't we just leave without them?" The slightly older man suggested half-serious, a smirk clearly showing on his smug face. It was hard to believe that the up-tight guy in front of him was quite a bit younger than himself. It was something called 'acting your age' and unless Yamato was fifty years old and married he refused to tolerate his dullness.

"I'd rather leave without _you._"Yamato answered dully as he scanned the area for any sign of the missing members, quite confident that he could handle this mission without the assistance of Shiranui.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Genma leaned against the main gate, crossing his arms as he mumbled another smug remark, which luckily went unheard by his fellow comrade.

Yamato pinched the bridge of his nose as he turned to face Genma, "Exactly what it sounds li…- Oh look who decided to show up almost on time."

"Yo." Kakashi had appeared on top of the gate only seconds before, scaring the shit out of Genma as he nearly stumbled face forward. Giving the silver-haired a grim look he leaned against the supporting pole again, ignoring the new arrival.

"She's not here yet?" Kakashi asked dryly as he jumped down next to Yamato who shook his head in return.

"Hard to imagine anyone being later than you."

Kakashi ignored the annoying figure behind him and decided to wait a little longer before thinking about tracking her down. "I'm sick of this mission already."

The senbone user suddenly made his way towards the copy-nin and put a heavy hand on his shoulder. "You and me both Hatake, you and me both."

* * *

Sakura gave a heartfelt cry of agony as a kunai quickly made it's way from her chest to her stomach with one swift motion, tearing clothing apart as well as drawing blood from the sliced skin.

"As I thought, you're not much to look at even at the age of eighteen." Sasuke hummed disapprovingly.

Sakura gazed down at her exposed chest in horror, her breath shallow and hoarse. Even if he hadn't gone deep, the wound seemed to hurt as badly as if he'd just slit her stomach open. Her eyes felt hazy, trying to focus on the other man as he looked her over.

The raven leaned over her, his hand supporting his weight on the mattress. Licking a strip of blood as his vicious eyes kept contact with her own he merely smirked at the sight. Sakura hissed, her face stained with dry tears as new ones made their way down her cheek. He wasn't going to… was he? Sakura swallowed. He couldn't.

"P-please… don't do this." She pleaded as her voice merely came out as a weak whisper in between her hitching. A second scream was heard as he pulled her downwards, separating her legs in the process and making the wire imbed itself even further into the flesh of her wrists. She tried to kick him off of her, but his hands kept her legs from moving.

"I swear to God, get the hell off me before I scream again!" There was a fury evident in her eyes he'd never seen from her before, and it pleased him to no end that it would continue to increase as he proceeded with his little lesson. He would show her what would happen if she disobeyed him.

"Scream all you want, no one's going to hear you." The raven grinned, digging his nails into her thighs, drawing yet another pained sound from her.

Sakura was about to go through with her threat, but stopped at the realization of something else. W-wait a second. Her neighbors… Why weren't they reacting? She'd been screaming for at least five minutes. Someone must've heard her by now …Unless…

"This isn't real… is it?" Sakura whispered in disbelief, almost a little releved, but that soon disappeared as a sharp object pierced through her leg as if to prove a point.

Sakura clenched her teeth as she refused to let him know just how much it hurt.

Sasuke chuckled darkly, glad to see that she was finally catching on. "You'll be surprised just how _real_ it feels."

Sakura decided that she would do as little as possible to please the sick individual currently seated between her legs. This wasn't real. It shouldn't affect her. An illusion was all it was, all it ever would be. It would eventually end and she would wake up completely fine.

"Only twelve more hours and you're free to go." Sasuke whispered against her ear.

"If it's not going to affect me when I wake up, what's the use in wasting your time with meaningless torture?" The pink-haired spat aggressively.

"You've got it all wrong Sakura. This could very well kill you. Your brain still recognises pain. Too much pain can cause your heart to stop. But don't worry, I'm not here to take your life. This will only be a taste of how it'll really feel like if you ever think about disobeying me again." Sasuke whispered, clearly enjoying himself.

Sakura's shut her eyes tightly. She had no choice. For the next twelve hours she would have to endure. It didn't matter what he did, she just had to get through it.

"Don't think you'll ever be able to escape me. Once you come back I expect more from you. And just to show you that I'm not fucking around," Sasuke hands moved lower as he started toying with the hem of her skirt. "I'll make this experience as painful as possible."

_Please, don't!_

* * *

Ten more minutes. They couldn't afford to wait any longer.

"I guess I'll go fetch her then." Kakashi started as he took a step forward, but came to a hault as Genma protested.

"Hell no! We both know that if you leave now you won't be back until sunrise you lazy fuck, and I for once would like to leave within the next ten minutes. So which way? I'll get her."

Kakashi blinked and pointed a finger towards the direction he remembered would lead to Sakura's apartment complex. "Walk past Kurenai's appartment and it should be the second building to the right. Knock yourself out, Shiranui." Kakashi's eye creased happily as the dark-haired stomped off.

"Wouldn't it be nice if he never came back?" Yamato uttered dreamingly as he gave an uncharacteristic and highly dramatic sigh.

The silver-haired chuckled. "Indeed."

* * *

Genma was starting to believe that Kakashi had sent him off in the wrong direction as he continued to skim through the various buildings. He wouldn't put it past the asshole to pull something like that on him.

As unfortunate as it was, Genma realized that he had to find another reason for getting back at the silver-haired as he reached the right appartment complex. He hoped as hell she had a good reason for acting like her good-for-nothing sensei. He wasn't sure if he could tolerate a miniature Hatake.

Reaching the front door Genma knocked a little too hard on the wooden surface, patience being one of the few things he didn't possess much of at the moment.

However, he tried his best as ten seconds past. Twenty. Thirty. A minute. He knocked again, putting even more force into it. "Hey, Sakura! Are you in there?"

He could hear something move from inside the appartment. He wasn't sure if he should be concerned or not. Another minute past as the door finally opened. He could see trembling fingers struggle to push the door the remaining inches as her face remained hidden by pink strands.

The jounin eyed her suspiciously as she supported her weight against the doorframe. "Are you ready?"

"Sure." The medic answered, her voice lacking the energy she would normally have. If it actually concerned him he didn't know, but he was pretty sure that Sakura wasn't usually like this.

"For a moment there I thought something was wro…- Hey, are you,- Crap!" As soon as the word had left her lips the girl had stumbled forward, apparently not able to rely on her own feet to do the trick. The senbone user caught her only moments before she went face first into the concrete. She was panting now, trembling as she buried her face against his chest.

A bit shocked the older man tried to support her upper body as he patted her back in a comforting gesture. "Are you alright?" Genma asked carefully, realizing how stupid his question was. She didn't _look_ okay. It didn't look like she was injured either, but then how come she was unable to stand on her own two feet?

"Just f-fine. My bag. It's on the counter." Sakura panted, removing herself from the other man.

"Wait, what-?"

"Just get it… Please." Her voice had turned a tone softer as she turned to look at him. Bloodshot eyes making him hesitate for a moment before he stepped inside to fetch the bag. Returning with said object he handed her the bag as she grabbed it and nearly tore it open with shaking hands. She continued to search through it as Genma was beginning to get concerned for real.

"Maybe we should get you to the hospi,- hey don't eat those, soldier pills won't fix injuries-

"I'm not hurt, just tired." The younger girl replied as she swallowed a handful of pills.

"It's okay. I'm sure Tsunade will be willing to pull you out of the missio-"

"No!" Sakura shot a desperate look at man standing above her. "You can't tell anyone. Please. I'm fine, just please don't mention it to anyone. I promise I won't be-"

"Fine." He answered.

"R-really?"

"Yes," The jounin said calmly, offering her a hand. "I'll trust your judgement… for now."

* * *

I apologize for the shortness, I'll make it up to you.


End file.
